This week we learned how to “do easy switching on the Windows 8 UI, set up God Mode on Windows 8, & tweak the Task Manager in Windows 7″, uninstall or remove Windows 8 from your dual-boot setup, burn data across multiple DVD or CD discs, “bulk edit Office Doc properties, configure a router for port forwarding, & remote control an Android device”, enjoyed the latest set of Geek Deals, and more.

Photo by L D M.

Weekly News Links

• China finds ‘high-risk’ Chrome flaws
  A security research center in China has flagged security vulnerabilities in Google’s Chrome browser that can allow attackers to remotely control a user’s browser, said a report.
• Developer function enables phishing at American Express
  Security specialist Niklas Femerstrand has discovered a hole on the American Express web site that attackers can use to steal, among other things, the login data of credit card customers.
• Major security hole claimed in some HTC Android smartphones
  Security researchers claim they’ve found an insecure logging program in some HTC Android phones that easily enables crackers to get full access to all your personal data.
• Android hole could be used to disable antivirus apps
  Researchers say they have uncovered vulnerabilities in a “popular” component of Android that is used by antivirus and other apps that could be exploited to do things like disable the apps.
• Android trojan hides behind QR code
  A QR code has been found on a web site which directs users to Android malware. Kaspersky’s SecureList blog has a report of a malicious QR code on a web site which when scanned directs the user to a URL; the linked site doesn’t have a file matching the name in the URL, but it does redirect the browser to another site where the file jimm.apk is downloaded.
• Adobe warns of critical vulnerabilities in Photoshop Elements
  Adobe is warning users of security vulnerabilities in Photoshop Elements, the consumer version of its image editing program. According to the company, all versions from 1.0 up to and including 8.0 for Windows contain buffer overflow bugs, which Adobe rates as “Critical”.
• Apache hole allows attackers to access internal servers
  Security experts at Context have discovered a hole in the Apache web server that allows remote attackers to access internal servers.
• Firefox and SeaMonkey users warned to disable McAfee ScriptScan
  A major incompatibility between Mozilla’s browsers Firefox and SeaMonkey, and McAfee’s ScriptScan plug-in has caused “a high volume of crashes”, according to Mozilla.
• Microsoft aiming to clean up Hotmail user’s inboxes
  Hotmail users will now have the ability to automatically schedule cleanup of their inboxes. This is just one of a set of new features that will be available for the Web mail service within a couple of weeks.
• Facebook adds WebSense safe browsing to its defenses
  Facebook is adding a Websense Web link blacklist service to its arsenal of defenses designed to protect users from clicking on links that lead to sites hosting malware.
• Firefox developer reveals changes and new update service
  In a post on his blog, developer Brian R. Bondy says that, while Mozilla’s rapid release process has allowed the development team to release a new version of the Firefox browser every six weeks, modifying restricted files under Windows has been difficult due to the introduction of User Account Control (UAC).
• Mozilla postpones Firefox 3.6 update plan
  Mozilla has postponed its plan to prompt Firefox 3.6 users to upgrade to the latest version of the open-source Web browser to make sure its servers are up to snuff.
• Chrome could unseat Firefox as No. 2 browser
  Google’s browsers edged closer to second place in both desktop and mobile markets, a gradual trend that helps Google’s profitability and its long-term plans for the Web.
• Microsoft defends its Windows 8 Metro Start screen
  Microsoft is trying to justify its new Windows 8 Metro user interface Start screen in the wake of ongoing concerns and complaints from unhappy users of the developer preview.
• HP to speed up decision on PC spinoff
  Hewlett-Packard is aiming to decide by end-October whether to spin off its PC group, reveals newly appointed CEO Meg Whitman.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Encryption To Go
  If you need to secure the content of a USB memory stick, with sensitive data on it, consider encrypting it with BitLocker. Here’s how it works.
• Using Sysinternals To Identify Malware
  Sysinternals creator Mark Russinovich tracks and treats malware.
• ESET Smart Security 5 is here
  ESET has finally followed all other major security providers and released new versions of their security products. If you want to know if they still rock or not, check out this review.
• For Dummies vs. Step by Step
  Which series of books do you like best? Join the discussion started by this article and share your opinion.
• Facebook & You
  A humorous look at the relationship between Facebook and the people who use the social network.

Super User Questions

See the answers to these great questions from this week’s most popular thread at Super User.

• Can a Guest Windows XP account infect the overall system with Virus?
• Media Sanitation
• How to go back multiple times in Firefox/Chrome without actually loading the previous site?
• What angle is optimal for the antennas on my wireless network card?
• How can I prevent Google Street View from tracking my location?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Start your weekend reading off right with our hottest HTG Main articles of the week.

• What is Arduino? Learn About This Open-Source Electronics Platform
• Ask the Readers: How Do You Supercharge Your Router?
• What You Said: Supercharging Your Home Router
• Stupid Geek Tricks: How to Modify the Icon of an .Exe File
• The How-To Geek Guide to XBMC Add-Ons

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

Add a nice touch of fun to your weekend with our most popular ETC posts of the week.

• Five Alternative Career Choices that May have made Mario’s Life Easier [Image]
• Meanwhile on Spacebook [Funny Image]
• When Software on Windows gets Pushy [Image]
• The Wallpaper is Loading [Wallpaper]
• Fake PS3 Tracks Thieves via GPS
• Travelling into Autumn [Wallpaper]
• Mario Propaganda Posters [Classic Gaming Image]
• Floppy Drives Play the Imperial March [Video]
• Biohazard Desktop [Wallpaper/Login Screen]
• Lightning Streaking Across a Nighttime Sky [Wallpaper]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Repair or set up maintenance tasks on your favorite computer this weekend with these great articles from one year ago.

• Restore the Windows Boot Loader After an Ubuntu Update
• How to Manually Repair Windows 7 Boot Loader Problems
• How to Restore Previous Versions of the Registry in Windows 7
• Automate Windows Maintenance Tasks to Keep Your PC Running Like New
• Improve VMware VM Performance by Defragmenting Virtual Disks

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Old School Rebooting
• No More Staring at his Wife
• Just a Virus instead of Possessed
• Chose Video Games over his Girlfriend
• A Geeky Prom